Mother wants answers about son’s death

Annette Heitman is a grieving mother and she wants answers regarding the apparent suicide of her son, Alexander Heitman.

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By Russel Langley/The Oak Ridger

Oakridger - Oak Ridge, TN

By Russel Langley/The Oak Ridger

Posted Jul. 1, 2014 at 5:23 PM

By Russel Langley/The Oak Ridger

Posted Jul. 1, 2014 at 5:23 PM

Annette Heitman is a grieving mother and she wants answers regarding the apparent suicide of her son, Alexander Heitman.

Alex, as he was known by his family, worked for Oak Ridge Schools as a supervisor in the business office in 2011. On July 25, 2011, Alex reportedly drove to a remote location in Cocke County and killed himself with a single shot to the head from a shotgun.

The death was ruled a suicide and the case was closed by authorities. Annette, however, has been conducting her own investigation.

Two weeks ago, The Oak Ridger reported that school officials made internal records related to Alex available to the media. Those Oak Ridge Schools records consisted of two banker’s boxes filled with emails to and from Alex, as well as an audit report dated March 13, 2012, conducted after his death and reportedly shared with the Oak Ridge Board of Education. Also included was one page of phone records related to Hetiman’s work cell phone.

Annette said that she just wants to know the truth about what happened to her son. She said she could accept that he killed himself, if she could only know why. She also said that the audit report did not answer her questions.

“It still doesn’t address the concerns and questions we’ve had for the last three years,” she said.

In at least a dozen reviewed procedures, the accounting firm of Pugh & Co. reported in the audit report that “no exceptions were found as a result of applying this procedure.” Annette said this statement and those items indicate to her that Alex did nothing wrong prior to his death.

“He had access to millions of dollars and they found nothing in those items on the report,” she said.

In item No. 13, Pugh & Co. reported, “We requested that the purchasing and accounts payable departments generate a detailed listing from the accounting data base of all purchase orders initiated and approved by the former supervisor of business services. We examined nine out of 15 purchase orders that were initiated and approved by the former supervisor of business services. We reviewed the supporting documentation and canceled checks for $22,154 (out of $26,271) in purchases.”

The result: “We noted a purchase of one iPad … for $778 that was not discussed with, or approved by his supervisor, the director of business and support services, based upon representations of management, as required by the purchasing policy. We also noted that this expenditure was processed by a former accounts payable clerk without the proper approval.”

According to Annette, Alex used the iPad extensively in the office and for official emails. She said she felt it was unlikely that no one knew about his purchase of the iPad, she said in a telephone interview with The Oak Ridger. The mother gave her side of the story following the newspaper’s story on the audit report and phone records.

Page 2 of 3 - Regarding item No. 15 of the 15-item report, the audit states: “We examined all monthly credit card statements, travel and out-of-pocket expense claim reimbursements, including all supporting documentation as provided to us by the accounts payable and purchasing departments, for the period from Sept. 15, 2009, through July 25, 2011.”

The results of that examination were as follows:

(a) “Unallowable and unapproved charges and expenses from expense claim reimbursements totaling $1,137 were identified with the help of the Board’s accounting personnel and the director of business and support services. These expenditures were for various professional memberships, continuing education, or publications that were not approved by his supervisor, or approval was obtained by the unauthorized use of the director of business and support service’s signature stamp, as represented to us by management.

(b) “It appears that the former supervisor of business services incurred $6,403 in personal charges on his School credit card (in violation of the school’s credit card policy) and reimbursed the Board $1,985 over the 23-month period examined. The personal charges consisted of unapproved tuition fees for graduate school classes, continuing education, professional memberships, publications, conferences, travel and related expenses. We noted that these expenditures were processed by two former accounts payable clerks without his supervisor’s approval, or approval was documented by the unauthorized use of the director of business and support service’s signature stamp, as represented to us by management. …”

Annette said that the audit report wasn’t clear about how the education expenses came to light.

“Did they (the charges) come to light because of the audit or did the administration already know about them,” she said.

Annette also said that Alex was told by school administration that the district would help him pay for his graduate degree. When asked how she knew this, she said that Alex told her and that he felt going to Oak Ridge Schools was a chance to better himself.

The cell phone records provided by Oak Ridge Schools list 13 calls between July 20, 2011, and July 29, 2011. One call apparently was to the Weisgarber Eye Center, two were to school district numbers, four were to what appeared to be mobile numbers, two were to what is now listed as a baseball trainer in Knoxville, and four were what appeared to be voice mail checks.

Two of the voice mail check calls were on July 29, 2011 — four days after Alex’s death. There were no calls on the record for July 25, 2011, the day Alex died.

Annette said that both Alex’s work and personal cell phones were turned over to his father-in-law by officials with the Cocke County Sheriff’s Department on the day Alex died. She said that she and her husband, and Alex’s widow and her parents, all listened to the voicemails on Alex’s work cell phone together. She said there were several voicemails from Oak Ridge school administrators to Alex on the day of his death, according to the date/time stamp on the voicemails.

Page 3 of 3 - Annette said it was strange that no calls from the date of his death were on the phone record.